By Ann Vining, NoHLA Staff Attorney

In 2002, Washington State began offering a Medicaid program designed for people with disabilities who engage in employment, shortly after Congress passed legislation to allow this. Washington’s “Healthcare for Workers with Disabilities (HWD)” program allows workers with disabilities to work without losing services that only Medicaid provides, including residential services, community based long-term services and supports, and employment support. They pay premiums based on income.

But the HWD program is currently limited to people under age 65 with income below 220% of the federal poverty level. The income limit causes workers with disabilities to restrict their employment to stay eligible. They need these supports all their lives and cannot risk employment that would cause their loss. No other health coverage would pay for those services, and even relatively high earnings are generally too low to cover these services.

The income limit has become problematic as minimum wages rise and programs supporting work for people with disabilities become more successful. Workers now may need to stop working or limit their hours to avoid losing Medicaid covered services. And workers age 65 and older who continue working do not want to lose access to these services.

House Bill 1199 aims to address the concerns by removing age and income limits for the program. It would still permit income to be used in determining the premium charged for the program. In addition, it would make it easier for workers with disabilities who retire or lose employment to qualify for other Medicaid programs without depleting the earnings they have saved. Under the bill, the state could seek federal permission to disregard certain savings that would otherwise exceed the limit on resources.

NoHLA is happy to see a bill that lifts some increasingly problematic limitations on a program that provides vital Medicaid services for people with disabilities who work. We support this legislation.

NOTE: For latest news on the 2019 Legislative Session, see NoHLA’s Legislative Update page and click on the most recent update.